NATO said it hoped to secure the area in days, set up a local government and rush in development aid in a first test of the new U.S. strategy for turning the tide of the eight-year war. The offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The Taliban appeared to have scattered in the face of overwhelming force, possibly waiting to regroup and stage attacks later to foil the alliance’s plan to stabilize the area and expand Afghan government control in the volatile south.

One of the biggest helicopter assaults in British military history has been launched against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Royal Welsh took the lead with their troops and Afghan partners flying at only 500ft above the desert, landing at a series of specified targets in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand under cover of darkness.
The Coldstream Guards, the Grenadier Guards and the Royal Welsh have all been on the ground testing the Taliban positions and trying to get the message out to local people that the battle is about restoring order and allowing normal government to develop.